MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI – The Veterans Memorial Park on the Causeway between Muskegon and North Muskegon would receive a new sidewalk loop, antique street lamps and a host of other improvements under a proposed project unveiled Thursday.

The nearly $1 million project, which would be funded mainly by federal and state grant money, was designed through work by community leaders, the Veterans Park Maintenance Committee and Michigan Department of Transportation.

Lupe Alviar, the county’s representative on the Veterans Park Maintenance Committee, said the project would provide “badly needed improvements” at the park. Alviar, a Muskegon Township resident, helped spearhead the community and intergovernmental effort.

The proposed project would add a parking lot and a sidewalk loop on the park’s north side, create a boardwalk across the north pond, remove the current street lights and replace them with the antique street lamps, pave the existing parking lots and place benches along walkways throughout the park. The project also calls for additional signage about the history of the park and the veterans for which it was built.

The total project cost estimate is $973,000. A grant of federal road enhancement funds and MDOT money is being sought to cover 95 percent of the $900,000 construction costs.

If the grant is awarded, construction would take place next spring, Alviar said. The proposed park improvement project won't coincide with the planned road work on the Causeway this spring.

Muskegon County commissioners gave their approval Thursday during a Ways and Means Committee meeting for the project design. Muskegon and North Muskegon, the other two municipalities with representatives on the park committee also will be asked to approve the plan.

The three municipalities also are being requested to put up $12,000 each initially, although officials expect that that money will be covered by other sources. The grant application, due later this month, requires that commitments be in place to cover all of the estimated project costs.

Other community sources have made financial contributions to the project. The Community Foundation for Muskegon County and local veterans’ fundraising efforts have contributed about $50,000 for the project. Hooker DeJong Architects and Engineers of Muskegon also is making a contribution of $31,500.